I’m a changed man, with this New Life
AIM for success
I finally got it right
All the drugs and stuff
Those are old habits
Negative people, you can have it
Healthy living, that’s all me
I’m shining bright like a diamond
Can’t you see?
I feel like a newborn baby
It feels lovely to breathe New Life
My REENTRY into the outside world won’t be much of a fight
Living Life
I’m just living life
Come join me in this New Life
My changed ways was for the better
AIMING for success
I won’t rest until I reach it
I know my new way of living
Will make my loved ones proud
It’s my new certificate of completion
My New Life
I’ll just sit back
And SMILE.

Late nights and early morning
Is what it’s becoming
Same thing, different day
Trying to figure out life as I know it
Scared to give a little because
People are taking more than what’s given
I’m trying to play this game like chess
But everyone else is moving like checkers
Help raising my daughter is a hard thing to do in my situation
I feel like it’s time for change
I feel like the old ways ain’t working no more
So, it’s time for new ways
In life, if something breaks you fix it
If not for me, my daughter deserves it
My generation is lost
They have no moral value, loyalty or respect
Shaken dudes that was once a friend
And killing them is now getting everyone paid
And all I want to do is change this game

Late nights and early mornings
Is what it’s becoming
Getting on my knees and praying asking Allah to take this pain
My little brother just got more time than his age
I’m on this path and I don’t know where it’s going
All I know is that I have to figure out something
Drifting through life hoping that I be smart for me and my daughter
Just my thoughts!!!

I’ve walked down many roads
But this one has to be the longest
The mellow cool breeze and the beautiful sky
With the peaceful sound of birds chirping is the calmest
Feeling at an all time high
Relaxed and relieved of stress
Now that I’m renewed and clear
I can truly say I’m blessed
Now I feel bold and confident
Because I overcame my fears
I used to feel expectant and challenged
Because of the pressure of my peers
I no longer feel like that lost little boy
I was scared and so alone
Now I am a man
Brave and anxious to right my wrongs
The road used to be a million miles long
Now it’s a joyful walk
On my short journey home
I hated myself for a long time
Feeling bitter and scorn
Now I’m open-hearted
And my insides are cozy and warm
I love feeling empowered and satisfied
Now that I’m reborn

I was a destroyer
A fickle force of nature
Who strolled through life
Damaging
Every soul I touched
Then you came into me
A storm
You ignited a conflagration
Within me
That catalyzed my transformation
Into the man you see before you
Fire burns
Not to destroy
But to transform
Transmute
Transmogrify
A change in temperament
Tempered by the slick touch
Of the woman who loves me
You have my hurricane
But even hurricanes make flowers grow

This is a call for all “Free Minds”
To enter the think tank
Make a deposit into the brain bank
And withdraw a little thought change
Self-empowerment
Builds structure, like support beams
Which keeps the self-esteem from crumblin’
The experience is humblin’
When you merge courage with comfort
And go in search of something
But, in order to be a “Free Mind”
You gotta make the best of the free time
It’s not just leisure
That’s how you facilitate to read between lines
And see yourself a little deeper.
Stretch a little farther; to become a dream-reacher
That’s a free mind – free thinker
Which makes the climb of the mental hills easier
The essentials of developmental
The escape of the dozed mind that had you
Trapped in a blind spot
Remorse the blindfold and life becomes a
Sight for blind eyes
With crystal clear facts you can now rationalize
Education and elevation, no longer passing you by
This is the evolution of the free minds
Where capabilities and limitations find patience
Where purpose and worth don’t feel so vacant
Finally found yourself and alleviated the imitations
Cause when you free mind; you free yourself on the inside
You tap into potentials and see yourself materialize
Your thoughts are reused and you begin to
Second guess and think twice
So do away with mistakes that were once
plentifully made. So I once again say, “This is a call for
free minds. Who’s ready to set their minds free?”

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Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop

Free Minds uses books, creative writing, and peer support to awaken DC youth incarcerated as adults to their own potential. Through creative expression, job readiness training, and violence prevention outreach, these young poets achieve their education and career goals, and become powerful voices for change in the community.

Winner of the 2015 Aspen Ideas Award from the Aspen Institute, the Justice Potter Stewart Award from the Council for Court Excellence, and the Library of Congress Best Practices in Literacy Award.

United Way of the National Capital Area (UWNCA) #9633
Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) # 75998